Strictly Now (Dramione)
by JoyfullyAnonymous
Summary: When the golden trio is out hunting Horcruxes, Ron snaps from the pressure of Voldemort's locket. But what if Harry storms after him? Hermione is left alone until she stumbles upon an old classmate she can't stand. Will he help her win the war or will he fight against her? Hermione x Draco
1. Prologue

When the golden trio is out hunting horcruxes, Ron snaps from the pressure of Voldemort's locket. But what if Harry storms after him?

 _Ron stormed into the night._

"Harry do something!" Hermione sobbed as her best friend glanced coldly at the tent entrance before his face dropped and he came to his senses.

"Shit, I gotta go after him," Harry muttered and ran out of their tent with one last look at the locket. Hermione gasped and stepped out into the cold air just in time to see Harry latch a hand onto Ron's shoulder before both disappeared into thin air.

"No!" she cried out. Ron must have dissaparated just as Harry grabbed him. Her breaths became frantic as she felt fresh tears stream down her face. They wouldn't be able to come back. Neither of the boys would be able to track back to her, her wards were strong and she couldn't risk taking them down, especially in the night. She stumbled farther into the night and sank to the ground with her hands covering her mouth.

How did this happen? She was alone. Her best friends gone and she might never see them alive again. A strangled cry left her throat as she clawed at the frozen ground in an attempt to steady herself. Even when the tears dried on her cheeks she didn't dare go inside, hoping for a mop of red hair or a flash of Harry's glasses. Instead all she saw was darkness.


	2. Chapter 1 - Torn

Hermione didn't move until she had lost feeling in her feet. Even then it took all her willpower to drag herself back into the tent. She snatched her wand up from where she had carelessly discarded it on her bed and made a beeline for the chair upon which Ron had thrown the locket. There it lay, looking harmless. As if there wasn't a piece of soul attached to it. She growled, angry that this stupid trinket had torn away the only people she had left. She picked it up and she could swear it was laughing at her, inside her head. She quickly wrapped it in a sweater that was strewn across the chair and shoved it under her mattress. Wearing it hadn't done any of them good and she couldn't handle the negativity it brought.

She rubbed her eyes and sighed, crying always exhausted her. Not that any of them had been sleeping well lately. There were the guard shifts, shifts of wearing the locket and even without those two it was hard not to sleep with one eye open. So, instead of going to sleep, Hermione rummaged through her drawstring bag and found the large, leather bound book she was looking for. Pulling on the large sweater left on Ron's bunk she felt her shoulders slump in defeat.

She pushed open the tent flaps once again and positioned herself on the hard ground. With a wave of her wand she conjured up her small portable fire that would hopefully warm the chill in her bones. Her wand safely tucked under her leg, she cracked open the book and began to read. Basilisk venom and it's poisonous attributes.

She was so engrossed by her distraction that she almost missed the soft thud that came from behind a nearby tree. Almost.

Draco Malfoy had learned to stop sauntering and start cowering. His father had been degraded mercilessly by the Dark Lord and he had been pushed forward as an offering. He'd been proud. Proud to bear the same mark as his father and his aunt. His mother had been horrified. She'd seen what it had done to her husband and then witnessed her son being thrown down the same path.

Draco had been confident in his ability to please the Dark Lord until reality had struck. They wanted him to kill, to slaughter and maim. He'd failed to kill his old head master. He'd faltered at a task so simple. He didn't care for the old, senile fool. Draco had always found him rather pretentious and that stupid twinkle in his eye drove him nuts. But to kill him? That was different. He still dreamed about the man's pleading eyes.

His father had been outraged and the Dark Lord had punished them both. Snapping his father's wand was the most degrading thing he could have done to a pureblood like him. Magicless. Powerless.  
Draco however was still young and could yet be molded into a useful weapon. His master had tasked his dear aunt Bellatrix to discipline the boy. And she did, with gusto. The heavy scar lines on his back proved that he had learned his lesson. From then on, he treaded carefully. He became a shell. Cold and callous. He joined the raids with the rest of the death eaters and killed three men with just a flick of his wand. From breathing to lifeless, just like that.

He could hear their screams ricocheting through his head constantly.

He lifted his head as his aunt listed her wand, "Crucio!" she cackled. The young muggle boy writhed on the floor and screamed as Bella danced around him with glee. His parents lay dead beside him. Draco closed his eyes as blood started to drip from the boy's nose.

 _Stop_

He wanted to scream. He wanted her to stop. He'd been taught to despise muggles and mudbloods but the pain on that boy's face made Draco forget who he was. He recognized the pain on the small blonde's face and his stomach churned.

Then the boy stopped screaming.

Hermione drew her wand as fast as she could and aimed it towards the general direction of the noise. She doused the flamed she'd conjured just in case and stood up silently. She the sun was on the brink of rising and provided enough light for her to see her surroundings. She shrank closer to the edge of her protective wards and drew in a sharp intake of breath when two snatchers stumbled out from the dreary woods. Between them they dragged a slumped body.

"Luna," she whispered, no more than a breath.

"Think this one will be worth anything?" One of the snatchers smirked at his companion before whipping out his wand and lifting her chin with it, "pretty 'nough, isn't she?" he bared his nasty teeth. Luna's head drooped back onto her chest, unconscious.

"Let's just see if Malfoy wants to keep this one like he did that old wand maker." The other one snarled before the three of them apparated before her eyes.

Where did they take her? Where were the Malfoys hiding? Hermione rubbed her face in shock, her dreamy eyed friend would surely be tortured if anyone found out she was friends with Harry. As much as she wished she could find her friend again, she couldn't risk the horcrux and all their hard work. She ran back to her tent before letting out a soft growl. She felt useless.

Ron and Harry wouldn't find her here. She had to keep moving. Clearly it wasn't safe here anymore. She needed to find a way to destroy the horcrux and find her friends. Hermione scrambled to pack up her tent and fit everything in her enlarged bag. She shrunk the tent and when the clearing was free of her things she waited. Against her better judgement she sat on the ground for an extra hour before shaking herself out of the hopeful mindset she'd adopted only a moment ago. They weren't coming back. They couldn't.

She took down the wards and paused. With a shaky breath, she drew her wand and focused on the forest where she used to go camping with her parents. She inhaled and felt the crushing sensation of apparation break her resolve for a moment before she landed and exhaled. She felt tears leak out of her brown eyes once again as she looked around her, memories flooded her brain. This was the first place she's thought of. Luna swam through her mind with Harry and Ron close behind.

How could she just leave her friends like that? She thought to herself as she drew up the wards around her once again. They meant the world to her. But she was no use to them dead.

With a final sweep of her wand she decided, she needed to end this.

_

 **A short first chapter but with some essential bases to get this story moving! Hopefully the next few chapters will start getting longer. Let me know if you have questions, concerns or suggestions and enjoy this up and coming mess.**


	3. Chapter 2 - Pulled

He shot awake. It couldn't be later than 5am. Draco heard screaming and this time it wasn't just in his head. He stumbled across the room and pulled on a fresh sweater, he'd fallen asleep in his clothes again. Feeling drawn toward the screaming he put his metaphorical mask back on and became emotionless, empty and a follower.

He snuck down the stairs and silently joined the ranks of the death eaters who were already in the manor. He'd somehow managed to become an outsider in his own home. Not that it was much of a home anymore. And then there she was, screaming madly, Bellatrix. She was using Crucio on some unfortunate bloke with a rather beat up face. Beside the bloke on the floor bound and gagged lay…no. It couldn't be the weasel.

But it was. The red hair and hand me down clothes proved it and if he was there then Potter wasn't far off.

"Tell me the truth!" his aunt shrieked at ear piercing levels. She whipped around to face the death eaters, her eyes fell on Draco. "Drakey darling come here," she ordered and he dragged his feet forward and stopped. "You went to school with these buffoons, tell me if it's him!" she hissed.

"If it's who?" he heard himself say in a monotone voice.

"Harry Potter." She whispered and pulled the beaten-up boy's face up by the hair. Black unruly hair, and Draco knew it was him. His face had clearly been hit with a swelling hex but it was him alright. His green eyes pleaded with Draco silently. He made a split-second decision.

"It's not him," his voice came out raw. His aunt whipped her face towards him and snarled.

"Don't lie to me!" she screamed.

"It's not him." He repeated, steadier. He didn't know what made him do it but it was too late to take it back. The next few things happened so fast he barely had time to react. Potter, who was kneeled in front of Draco, sprung up and snatched his wand out of his hand. Weasel punched McNair in the face and suddenly people were dueling. He saw his aunt round on him at the same time as he felt someone press something into his hand. He saw her raise her wand and he knew he was dead.

"3, 2, 1" he heard in his ear before he was pulled out of reality and into a whirl of colours.

Draco landed on his stomach on a mushy surface. He raised his head expecting to see Bella aiming to kill him but instead found himself surrounded by trees. He scrambled up and felt a wave of nausea hit him. In his hand he held a ring, a wedding ring. His mother had slipped him a portkey. He wasn't dead.

He turned in a slow circle and saw nothing but trees for miles around. Then suddenly, he felt himself get knocked to the ground and ropes circled his body. His arms stuck to his sides by the rope and he dropped his mother's ring in the dirt. He opened his mouth to scream before a pair of blue sneakers stepped in front of his face, that was the last thing he saw before he was knocked out cold.

_

Hermione cracked open her eyes as daylight hit her soft features. She shot up from her slouched position at the small table in the tent. She hadn't intended to fall asleep over her reading but she was simply exhausted and had dozed off after some hours of aimless wandering around the tent and reading. She felt lost. With no new leads and the loss of her companions she felt at an uncharacteristic loss for plans. The young witch rubbed her eyes and ran a hand through her wild curls. A sudden idea sparked her mind and she scrambled over to Ron's cot. Under his pillow she found the radio he'd constantly tampered with these last few days. It had annoyed her to no end but now she needed to hear. To find out if Harry and Ron were still alive. No news was good news, she thought as she fiddled with the dials on the small radio.

She heard static and a scratchy voice before she tapped her wand to the radio and remembered the password, "mad-eye", she mumbled. Then clear as day she heard him, Lee Jordan.

"Today on potterwatch…" he started and Hermione sucked in a short breath. She listened intently for any sign of the boys but she found none. Only when Lee had concluded his list of fallen friends did she realize she was shaking.

 _No news is good news._

They weren't dead. If they were dead Voldemort would have made it clear that Harry Potter was no longer a threat. She released a shaky breath and unclenched her fists. Her nails had left indentations in her palms.

She turned off the radio and made her way over to her mattress. Standing in front of it for a moment she hesitated. She knew the locket was there but what if it wasn't. She lifted the mattress and unrolled the sweater to reveal the horcrux. She wrinkled her nose as if she'd smelled something sour. Placing the locket around her neck she shivered. She couldn't risk losing it and the thing had a strange draw to her. Hermione flinched when the cold metal made contact with her skin as she hid it beneath her sweater.

With her wand safely in between her fingers, she stepped out of the warm tent and into the cold outside air. The ground was soggy with the night's rain and the woods smelled like fresh autumn air. Her head felt clearer and she closed her eyes for a second relishing in the soft sounds of nature and the fresh air of a year nearing its end. Her eyes snapped open when she heard a soft thump and an audible groan.

Raising her wand Hermione rushed forward to the edge of her territory. There, not ten metres away lay a person, a boy with white blonde hair. She chewed on her bottom lip and held her breath as the heap of person stood up and turned around himself. He looked straight at her and straight past her. It was undoubtedly Malfoy. An anger she hadn't felt before surged through her as she aimed her wand as his back and hit him with an _Incarcerous._

She quickly lowered her wards and sprinted to where Malfoy lay face first in the mud. She stopped when he feet were in front of his face. She saw him raise his head and in a panic kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

"Shit." She hissed and levitated the lifeless body quickly and pushed him back towards her tent. She dropped him and raised her wards again. She didn't know what made her do it. She could have left him to his own devices but she'd taken one look at him and every nasty thing he'd ever done had flooded back into her head and she'd wanted to hurt him.

She moved him inside and dropped him unceremoniously onto a nearly chair and cast another _Incarcerous_ to tie him to the chair. She circled him a few times with wide eyes before her brain caught up with her body.

 _"Let's just see if Malfoy wants to keep this one"_ she heard the snatcher say in her head. Did Malfoy know where Luna was taken? She'd find out one way or another.

Twisting her curls up, she stuck her wand through the knot to keep it up. She grabbed a second chair and pulled it up in front of the blond ferret. She sat down across him all the while keeping her big brown eyes on him. Chewing on her bottom lip she considered forcing him awake but she realized with a start that from now on things would be getting a lot more complex and these might be her last few moments of silence.

Silently she studied his features. She'd never really stopped to look at him. He was rude and arrogant and that made his outsides just as ugly as his personality to her. His hair was such a light shade of blond it almost gleamed silver. His cheekbones were high and gave him a very aristocratic look, his skin was pale and could have been made of china if she didn't know better.

Hermione frowned, he could be handsome except for the bags under his eyes and the slight sink to his cheeks that indicated malnutrition. She expected him to be healthy and happy, his side was rising and stronger than ever. So why did he look sickly and tired? She shook her head. That was none of her concern. No, her concern was getting information out of him and then dumping his arse somewhere after wiping his memory. Yes, that's what she would do.

She crossed her legs under her and chewed on her nail as she glared at his unconscious form. The anger she'd felt before flared up again the longer she looked at him. He was the reason Dumbledore was dead. He was the reason that death eaters had infiltrated Hogwarts. She wanted to make him pay.

Draco awoke with a thumping in his head, he didn't dare open his eyes. He tried to remember what had happened. Pothead and Weaselbee had turned up at the manor, he'd covered for them, then he was suddenly in a forest and now he was…well he wasn't sure where he was now but he didn't have a wand. He cracked open his eyes slightly and groaned when his headache pounded three times worse. In front of his feet he saw blue sneakers. The same blue sneakers that had knocked the daylight out of him. Draco raised his head slowly and opened his eyes.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he spat, "Granger?" he started to struggle against the roped that tied him to his chair and growled. "Untie me." He demanded. She stayed silent and stared at him with a fire in her eyes he'd never seen from her before. This was the same insecure, bookworm, mudblood wasn't it? She pulled her wand out of that rat's nest she called hair and was up in a split second. Her wand was at his throat and he stopped struggling.

"Shut up." She said dangerously low. Her voice barely above a whisper but strong and almost crazy. "How did you find me?" she demanded to know.

"You were the one that knocked me out Granger, what the hell?!" he yelled in her face. She didn't flinch but simply pushed her wand against his throat a little harder.

"Why are you here?" she asked slowly and he looked her in the eye this time before answering.

"I don't know." He ground out. He didn't know, but he had an idea. Maybe if he told her she'd get her wand out of his face. "Someone sent me here, with a portkey." He paused and considered his next words, "because the precious Chosen one and your ugly ginger boyfriend showed up." His words definitely had an effect on her as she stumbled back with wide eyes.

"Harry?" she mumbled softly, "Where did you see them?" she rounded on him again.

"Bite me, mudblood." He said and spat at her feet. She turned away from him and a self-satisfied smirk bloomed on Draco's face. She started rummaging through a small purse beside her chair and pulled out a small vial.

"Fine, be that way." She said coldly and stepped back in front of him, she plugged his nose and he gasped in surprise. She dripped a couple of drops from the vial into his mouth an backed off again.

"What the fuck?" he asked and started struggling against the ropes once again.

"Veritaserum, calm down." She told him, assuming he thought she'd poisoned him.

"I'm not going to calm down," he growled and continued to struggle. She sighed, sat back down on her chair and crossed her arms.

"Where did you see Harry and Ron?" she asked again calmer this time, knowing he'd have to answer. Draco bit his tongue as Granger stared him down waiting for his reply.

"Malfoy manor." His mouth betrayed him. He glared viciously at his old school mate.

"What's at Malfoy manor? Why are they there?" she asked quickly.

"There's death eaters, the Dark Lord holds meetings there. Snatchers brought in Potter and Weasley, they didn't know who they were. Sometimes snatchers bring people in and we'll keep them in the cellar." He saw her flinch a little bit at that, stupid goodhearted Gryffindors. As if he wasn't her hostage right now.

"You have to take me to them." Granger leant forward on her knees.

"I can't," Draco admitted albeit slightly awkwardly. He knew what her next question would be.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I defended Potter." He growled angrily, how stupid he had been. "Bellatrix asked me to identify him because his face was all swollen and I said it wasn't Potter. She knew I was lying and will kill me if she ever sees me again. My dear aunt will tell the Dark Lord of my disobedience when she brings him Potter and both sides will want me dead." He muttered darkly.

"Y-you covered for him?" she sputtered, her eyes searched his face for any sign of untruthfulness but that was impossible and she knew it. "Why would you….?" She whispered in confusion.

"I don't know!" he said angrily. He really didn't, he just knew if he told his aunt it was Potter everything would go to shit. Not that it hadn't of course.

"I have to go get them, I have to help." Granger jumped up from her chair and started pacing, mumbling more to herself than him. He could see her mind racing and it would have been fascinating if he wasn't tied to a chair.

"You can't." he deadpanned. She stopped to look at him, "Potter grabbed my wand and I think Weasley has McNair's, they're either already dead or they escaped. Don't get your hopes up it's probably the former." He rolled his eyes. He knew that if she went to the Manor and took him with her, he'd be dead. He also knew that if she went without him, well, same thing. Right now, his safest bet was to stay the witch's hostage.

_

 **A little longer, a little more detail! I've been writing until late into the night and I have a long day ahead of me, I'm sure we've all been there. Let me know if you have questions, concerns or suggestions and enjoy the journey.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Human

"Granger. Hey, Granger!" Hermione heard Malfoy bark from behind her. She was stationed outside the tent to keep watch just in case any of his buddies had followed and he kept trying to get her to talk to him. "I'm talking to you mudblood! I knew you were stupid but I didn't know you were deaf-"

"What?" she stormed back into the tent. He'd riled her up. She hated being talked down and that's what Draco Malfoy was best at doing. She was almost tempted to punch him in the face again.

"I gotta piss." He told her blankly. She groaned. Hermione knew she'd have to untie him at some point but she was really trying her best to put that off.

"Fine." She wanted to keep their chatting to a minimum. "Try something and I'll kill you." She muttered, meaning it. He looked like he didn't believe her but he was smart enough not to try anyway. She waved her wand and the ropes binding him dissolved. She then pulled him up by his collar until he was standing and gripped his arms tightly. He was taller than she remembered him to be and he truly loomed over her. The young woman faltered for a moment until she remembered she was the one with a wand. She quickly bound his wrists in front of him and shoved him out of the tent.

"You're kidding me, right?" he spun to face her with disgust on his face.

"I'm sorry your highness, should I have the house elves prepare the golden toilet?" she snapped with venom in her words. "Pee, and get back inside." She spun around and muttered, "entitled arsehole."

She knew he couldn't leave, her wards would warn her and she'd knock him down with a quick spell again. However, a little part of her didn't think he'd try to leave. He was probably being hunted by death eaters as of now. To him, Hermione would be the safest option.

As Hermione sat at the small table they'd been using she took a deep breath to calm herself down. Harry and Ron were safe. They had to be. The boys were brave and determined and they knew how to handle themselves. Still, a little part of her knew she could be dead wrong and the war could have been lost already. She'd have to tune back in to potterwatch tomorrow to hear an update. She could feel a headache pounding away in her skull and she knew Malfoy would only make it worse but she needed to keep him around. He'd said Voldemort had held meetings at his home, he was bound to know something she didn't. The stubborn pureblood wouldn't tell her anything though, she knew that much. He was a loyal servant to his lord. She didn't have enough Veritaserum to get all the information she needed either.

A grin blossomed on her face as she thought of a new approach. If she was civil to him, fed him, let him use a cot then maybe, just maybe, he'd see her as the lesser of two evils and tell her what she needed to know to save his own skin. Almost like Stockholm syndrome, except she didn't want Malfoy to have feelings for her, just trust her predictability more than that of the death eaters. She wiped her face back to a neutral expression as the tent flap opened once again and Malfoy strutted back in. She waved her wand and removed the rope from his hands. He shot her a suspicious glare and started wandering around the expanded tent, looking at all the stuff that belonged to her and the boys.

Hermione made her way about the small kitchen set up to prepare herself some food. She'd prepare some for him as well. She couldn't have her only lead dying of starvation now could she. She opened a package of noodles she'd gotten at a muggle convenience store a while back and got to preparing them.

"The hell are you doing?" Malfoy spat from somewhere behind the divide in the tent. She didn't answer. Just because she was planning on giving him food, didn't mean she wanted the blond oaf to be her new conversational partner. "Hey Brainiac! Do you ever listen?"

"Your insults are getting old Malfoy." She simply replied. She vividly remembered their days at Hogwarts and how mean he'd been even as a young boy. Her mother had always told her that ignoring bullies would make them less interested in teasing her. So, she tried her best to ignore the comments about how filthy and useless she was but they never stopped. Even in the middle of a war apparently her childhood bully had the time to rile her up. However, she'd grown up. She was older and she knew that people were bitter because they'd been raised that way. If he was anybody else she would have tried to break his habits with kindness. But this was Malfoy, he'd never tire of calling her mudblood.

"What?" he asked, clearly expecting her to be angrier.

"I said your insults are getting old. Mudblood this, book nerd that. Stupid, filthy, worthless, you name it, I've heard it." She shrugged, it was easy to wear a mask made of stone, she'd been chiseling it for years.

_

Draco was taken aback. He recognized that maybe his insults had been reused but she was so casual about it that it threw him off. He'd never stopped to think that maybe after years of this she'd stop caring. He'd always enjoyed making her cry or getting her riled up. It was almost like a personal victory when he was a small boy. He'd simply slipped into old habits.

"You are worthless." He spat, only proving her point. She turned around and her eyes were cold and calculating. The warm brown contained small flecks of gold, how conveniently Gryffindor. He met her eyes but she didn't seem to be bothered by his words at all.

"I know." She said and pushed a bowl into his hands before brushing past him and out into the frosty night. He frowned in confusion and turned to watch her go before looking down at the bowl in suspicion. He'd insulted her and she'd given him food in return. He didn't think too much before digging in. He hadn't eaten in almost two days and he wasn't about to skip another meal.

Draco glared at the tent flap angrily. Granger used to be so easily manipulated. He'd insult her, he'd insult her friends, he'd tell her she was dumb and she'd throw a hissy fit. Now he called her out and she offered him food. His eyebrows creased in confusion, he'd hoped he could at least entertain himself by irritating her. Verbal spats had been the one thing he liked about the stubborn witch. She was the only one who matched him in level of intelligence and beating her in a battle of insults had felt like a win to him as a kid. She'd beat him in a class and he'd beat her in one of their spats.

He scarfed down the noodles without a thought. It was no chicken dinner but damn was he ever hungry. He eyed the pot on the stove for a solid minute before standing up and dumping more food into his bowl. He was sure Granger would mind but she could kiss his ass for all he cared. Finally feeling sated after a long while of skipping meals he scratched his forearm, the mark that resided there always felt a bit irritated to him.

He'd been so cooped up in trying to stay out of everyone's way and pretending to be obedient, he'd forgotten what peace and quiet felt like. He strained his ears to listen to the sound of nature outside the tent. He could hear a faint rustle every minute or so and he deduced Granger was probably reading. Of course she was. Annoying as it was, he wanted to read too. It had been a while since he'd been able to focus on anything else than the Dark Lord. Since Granger hadn't been discovered yet he figured this was a fairly safe place to be.

Wandering around the tent he found a small stack of books underneath a chair stood in the corner. He hesitated before pulling one out at random. They were _her_ book he knew, and he didn't want to enjoy anything that belonged to the mudblood. She was inferior and always would be but…he'd eaten her food already and how much worse could it get really? He sat down on the chair under which the books were stacked and cracked open the one he was holding. It was small and he could tell it was old, the edges of the cover were peeling and it was stained yellow with age. He recognized it and found that he'd picked up an old wizarding fairy-tale book. _The Tales of Beedle The Bard_. At least it wasn't one of her muggle books. He shrugged and started, it would be nice to read something light for once.

When he got to the _Tale of Three Brothers_ , he found that there was a small drawing at the top of the page and many hastily scribbled notes in the margins. He'd never pictured Granger to be one to defile her books with notes. He traced his finger over the tiny, slanted words and tried to make out what they said.

" _Cloak – Harry, Elder wand – Grind_ld-Dumbledore?, Stone - ?"_

He couldn't make out the second name and he frowned at the little list she had made. What did Dumbledore have to do with this old story he wondered. He looked at the second name again more closely.

"Grindlewald?" he muttered aloud.

"What are you doing?" Hermione barked. Draco looked up coolly, his heart was pounding like someone had fired a spell near his head but he wouldn't let her know she'd startled him.

"Reading," he met her gaze. Her hands were placed on her hips with her wand in one hand. The glare she gave him reminded him oddly of Professor McGonnagal. That woman had always known when he got into trouble.

"I never said you could read my books." She said and crossed her arms. She looked genuinely offended. Ah yes, Granger's soft spot, her precious books.

"You can't forbid me from reading." Draco snorted and stood up so that she'd stop looking down on him. Now he was looming over her and smirked when he saw her grab her wand a little tighter. So she was a little scared of him after all, good.

"You're my prisoner." She frowned at him. Clearly, she'd never done this before and he almost laughed. He stretched out his hands in front of him.

"I'm not tied up, I can leave whenever I want to," he shrugged at her and realized his mistake too late.

"So, leave." She said and stepped aside to let him past her if he wanted to. He glowered at her. He couldn't leave and she damn well knew that. The second someone caught sight of him he was dead.

"Fuck off m-"

"Mudblood." She finished for him, "you know, you're not as pure as you think you are ferret." She stepped closer to him and he took a step back automatically. "Generations upon generations of purebloods, too bad your parents were probably related, maybe that's why you're so messed up huh?" she stepped forward again but he refused to step back. With her this close he could see the gold in her eyes and he could smell her shampoo. She smelled like apples and pine trees. It made him hate her even more.

"You don't know me, don't talk to me about messed up." He growled. He'd gotten her riled up alright but in turn he was getting angry.

"No? Let's see, you became a death eater because you were scared. You wanted to be like your father when you grew up, only to realize he's a coward and so are you. You can't even be a death eater right, that's why you're here." She said boldly. She'd made a mistake messing with him.

"Don't talk about my father," he said lowly, threatening her, "where are your parents huh? And your perfect little friends. They probably ditched you first chance they got. Realized you were just dirt on the bottom of their shoes. If you've got it all made why aren't you at home, having tea with mummy. Why are you out here, all alone with me? Parents left you, didn't they? Just like your friends." He returned with rapid fire. Her hand whipped back to slap him and he caught her by the wrist. She was biting her bottom lip so hard he swore she was drawing blood. He saw the tears well up in her eyes and he knew he should feel satisfied. But in the back of his head he knew he had overstepped.

"Get out." She whispered as tears started to roll down her face. "GET OUT!" she screamed in his face.

"But I-" he started. He hadn't meant to go this far.

"Get the hell out of my tent. I don't care if you've got information, I don't care if the first two steps out of my wards kill you. Don't talk about my parents or my friends, get out." She spat but her voice was shaky. Clearly Draco had struck a nerve. His self satisfaction ebbed away, he needed to stay but he wouldn't plead. So, he pushed her even farther.

"What, you don't like it when I talk about your dumb friends? Golden prince and the weasel? Potter is an overprivileged, untalented snob. He gets praise for nothing. And Weasley? He's even more useless than Potter. Couldn't cast a basic spell to save his life." He scoffed. He watched as Granger desperately tried to wipe her tears away with her sleeves. He'd cracked her.

"Leave me alone," she whispered and her voice cracked. He almost felt bad. Almost.

"No. And you know why? Because you're ridiculous. Look at yourself, you're pathetic. Alone, with a death eater for company and you're crying? Come on Granger I thought you were the one who could actually fight back." She lifted her head to meet his eyes, hers brown and gold and his a steel cold grey. Her hair framed her face in a curly halo and stuck to her damp cheeks. Her lip quivered for a moment before she took a deep breath and a final tear rolled down her face. In that moment, she looked so real and fragile that it scared him. His hand automatically reached out to wipe her tear from her cheek and he drew his hand back has if she'd burned him when she flinched.

_

Hermione took a step back from him. He was right, she was stuck with a bastard like him and she was crying. She was pathetic. She wiped her face of tears and turned around bursting out of the tent into the frosty air. If he wouldn't leave then she at least needed to get out for a moment.

She looked down at her wand. She could kick him out, he didn't have magic to back him up but…could she condemn another person to their death like that? He was a slimy git, yes, but he was still human. They'd gone to school together for Christ's sake. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration and dropped to the ground unceremoniously and pointed her wand at the ground before her. Quickly muttering a spell to create her frequently used blue flames she sighed. Sitting at the edge of her wards she could keep an eye out on the rest of the woods and the tent. It was dark now and Hermione realized with a start she'd have to move again tomorrow. She couldn't waste a day simply because she was thrown off by Malfoy arriving.

She didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay here forever. Between the trees that had heard her childhood memories and between the two sides of war. She wanted to escape. To go home most of all. Another tear slipped down her cheek as she thought about her parents, somewhere in Australia by now. No memories of ever having had a little girl. But she carried all of their memories with her. They were alive and they were safe but she'd never joke with her dad again while he made breakfast. Her mum would never stroke her hair again and tell her it would all be alright. Memory charms were impossible to reverse and she knew that. It was one of the things that made her plan so ironclad. They would be safe and she would be the only one who had to suffer a loss. If she died in this war, which she knew darn well she might, her parents would never have to know.

Hermione rubbed her face and leaned her chin into her palm. Staring into the flamed she'd created she could almost lose herself in the mesmerizing blue and warmth. Almost. The tick against her chest reminded her what resided there. It drew her back out of her reverie and caused her to think about the task at hand. She still hadn't made any progress on destroying the damned thing and she was still miles away from her friends. Malfoy was right, she couldn't just storm into Malfoy manor on the off chance that Harry and Ron had escaped. It would be a suicide mission and she wouldn't be any help to her friends dead.

She stood up once again with a firmer mindset. Tomorrow they'd move and she would find an answer to at least one of the questions that was racing through her brain. She extinguished her fire with a flick of her wand and strode back to the tent she now shared with Malfoy. Upon entering the tent, she found that he'd taken over Ron's bunk. Harry's empty cot stood between the two and Hermione pursed her lips. _Fine._ She dropped down on her sleeping space and slipped under the covers in her clothes before waving her wand to dim all the lights she'd set up around the tent.

"I overstepped." Malfoy muttered, "That wasn't right of me." Hermione's eyes widened. That was the closest thing to an apology she'd ever heard come out of his mouth. Se closed her eyes and thought before she spoke.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, don't get comfortable." She said softly and rolled over. With the horcrux digging into her chest she felt hollow and cold, like a shell of who she used to be. Even if he outwardly cried an apology she didn't think she could ever accept it. She fell asleep to the sound of her own heart beat, reminding her she was still alive.

 **And there we are, the end to another chapter. If there's anything you'd like to see more or less of in my writing please let me know and I'll do my best to appease! I hope you guys are enjoying this story at least somewhat because I enjoy writing it.**

 **-** ** _JOY_**


	5. Chapter 4 - Safe and Sound

" _Please stop. DON'T!" she cried out as she watched her loved ones writhe on the ground in pain. Her arms tied helplessly to her sides._

Hermione shot up and nearly hit her head on a lamp she'd set up by her bed. Her heart pounded and the locket was ice cold against her chest. Every night when she wore the wretched thing she had the same dream. Her parents, her friends, all being tortured while she stood by, unable to do a thing about it. It was horrible and she never slept longer than a few hours. She sucked in a deep breath and swung her legs off the makeshift bed. In the dark, she swapped her sweat ridden sweater and t-shirt for clean ones. Tugging on her worn out sneakers, she tucked her wand in the waistband of her jeans and peeked out of the tent.

Outside the ground was covered in an early morning frost. The sun barely peeped out beyond the horizon and her breath became smoke once it left her rosy lips. Hermione took a deep breath in and could feel the light frost settle into her lungs. Mornings like this reminded her that mother earth didn't stand still because of what was happening in the wizarding world right now.

Ducking back into the tent she strode over to where Malfoy lay, sound asleep. She figured he probably hadn't slept in a while, not many people did lately. For a moment, he looked at peace with the world. Like he wouldn't snap at her the second he was awake. His fine blond hair was shaggy and unkempt, he had a five o'clock shadow and his lips were slightly parted in sleep. She knocked her foot against the bed to wake him. He didn't stir. She sighed and leaned closer to shake his shoulder. She was sure he wouldn't enjoy her 'filthy' hands on him but she wasn't going to wait around until he woke up on his own, they needed to get moving.

"Wake up Malfoy," she commanded and shook his shoulder lightly. His hand shot out to grab her wrist and yanked her closer to him as his eyes shot open. She stumbled and smacked her leg against the metal of his bed. "Ow." She frowned. Malfoy stared at her for a solid twenty seconds with wide eyes. His hand still gripped her wrist rather tightly and their faces were maybe a wand's length apart. She could feel his breath on her neck until he blinked and shoved her back.

"Granger what are you doing?" he snapped at her and rubbed his eyes while sitting up.

"Waking you, it's time to leave." She replied and rubbed her thigh where it had connected with metal. She crossed her arms and waited for him to stand. She then marched over to her bag and dug around in it with a sigh. Heading back over to Malfoy she pushed some clothes into his arms, "you smell like death." She muttered and frowned before picking up her purse and making her way outside once again. After some more digging she found a couple of granola bars and a piece of cloth she could use. She tucked the cloth into the back pocket of her jeans and waited for her unwanted companion.

The sun had completely risen now and the frost on the ground sparkled like diamonds. She thoughts to herself how beautiful this place would look in the winter. Too bad she probably wouldn't see it, ever. Hermione silently pulled the locket out from under her sweater and stared down at it. It seemed to tick in her hand as if a heart was beating within it. She shivered, thinking about how it was truly a small part of Voldemort she was carrying around.

"I don't smell like death," she heard Malfoy grumble under his breath as he stepped out of the tent. She quickly dropped the horcrux back under her sweater and turned to face him.

"Eat this and then we leave." Hermione said and tossed the granola bar his way before pushing past him and wrapping up their tent into a small cloth parcel no bigger than a book with her wand. She fit it easily into her enlarged bag and turned back around to face Malfoy, who had, without complaint eaten what she had given him. He stared at her bag for a moment and then looked back up at her face. "I charmed it so it could fit everything I need," she mumbled feeling compelled to explain herself.

"That's," he paused, "clever." He ground out. It seemed to be costing him a lot of effort to be civil but she appreciated it. She offered him a nod and stepped forward pulling the cloth out of her pocket.

"I'm going to need to put this on you." She said awkwardly and he took a step back, "It's just so you can't see where I'm bringing you. Just in case."

"Aren't we apparating?" he raised one eyebrow coolly.

"Yes, well, part of the way. We're walking the rest." She shrugged and stepped toward him again hoping he'd comply. When he didn't step back again she took it as a good sign and moved beside him to reach up and place the makeshift blindfold over his eyes. He flinched slightly when she touched his face but otherwise remained completely still. "Okay, now just hold onto my arm." She mumbled and placed his hand on her upper arm. She saw him scowl under the blindfold and knew he hated every second of being around her.

 _Ditto._ She thought to herself.

With a deep breath in she pictured clearly in her mind where she was headed and the world started to spin around them. Landing steadily on both feet she took a glance around. This time she'd apparated them to the edge of a small beach where she'd spent a summer reading when she was ten. However, it was late into the year this time and there wasn't a soul around to see them now. She started walking forward but stopped when she found Malfoy hadn't moved with her.

 _Oh right._ She suppressed a small chuckle when she found him standing tall and still while the wind whipped his hair in every direction. She grabbed his hand awkwardly and his fingers twitched in resistance. His hand was surprisingly warm in hers and once her closed his fingers around hers she found that it wasn't so odd at all. She had expected him to be cold, like his demeanor and his voice, but his large hand was strong and completely human.

"This is ridiculous." He said in a voice colder than the air.

"Yeah but I've got to get you out of here somehow," Hermione shrugged. And so they walked, in silence, following a trail onto the beach and then down the beach itself until she found exactly what she was looking for. That summer she had spent here, she had also spent it exploring. Hoping to find something cool and adventurous like in her novels. Little did she know that a year later she would be attending a school for witches and wizards. She smiled sadly at the memory. She stopped walking once she found the little alcove in the large wall of rocks that surrounded them.

Nudging Malfoy in, she started to raise her wards. Muttering every protective spell and charm she could think of. She turned around at last and found Malfoy holding the blindfold in his hands and watching her thoughtfully. She suddenly felt self conscious and wondered what he was picking apart about her now.

Draco carefully pried the black piece off cloth off his eyes and looked around. A beach somewhere Granger knew clearly. She raised her wand and started to charm the shit out of the small cave like area they were in. Watching her was oddly mesmerizing and satisfying. She was good at magic that much he knew. He hated to admit it but she was drawing up wards with ease and skill that he recognized from their younger years. Her hair was messy from the wind and seemed to grow with her energy, she had a concentrated look on her face that looked incredibly familiar. She had sported it often in class.

He watched her work her magic and he fiddled with the blindfold in his hand. He missed his wand. Being able to perform simple spells. He hadn't been without magic this long since before his time at Hogwarts. And even then, he'd had a training wand and his parents encouraged him to learn how to control his magic early on. They'd always wanted him to be the best. Too bad Granger had him beat in every class except potions. And even that was only because Snape was such a stickler for his house.

The witch in front of him turned around to find him staring at her and he felt like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She gave him a questioning look and pulled at the sleeves of her sweater. Was it insecurity or did he make her uncomfortable?

"What?" she asked uncertainly.

"I miss having a wand." He blurted out quite honestly. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a headache coming on. She tilted her head slightly to the side and examined him. He figured she could read him like she read books, with ease. He was a stereotype and he hated that. He despised that she could se the spoiled brat he was raised to be.

"That makes sense," she nodded slowly, "it's like missing a finger, you're so attached to it, it would be like missing an actual body part." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"So I grew up with a wand what's wrong with that?" he snipped at her, he knew she was throwing jabs at him.

"No, I meant, I get it," she mumbled, "I'd miss it too."

Oh. She was being, kind? Seems he misread her comment as snarky but really, she was just trying to be civil. Of course she was. Gryffindor doo-gooder. He scowled and crossed his arms across his chest. The witch in front of him had a peculiar expression on her face as her big brown eyes searched his face for…for what?

She nodded to herself before digging through her purse before sticking her wand in there and quickly summoning a small parcel. She flicked her wand again and the parcel folded outwards until he recognized it to be the tent they'd spent the night in yesterday. She placed it gently on the sand near a wall of the alcove. Without looking back at him she made her way into the tent and he looked out over the ocean. The sound of waves slapping against the shore was almost peaceful and he turned back to follow Granger into the tent dutifully, feeling like a stray dog.

It was a rather accurate description. He couldn't go home, he couldn't find a new home so he drifted from place to place. With the mudblood no less. A scowl seemed permanently etched on his face. His mother had saved him from her sister but at what cost? Was she even still alive? Did Bella know it had been her at all? He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, not knowing what else to do he stuck to Granger. She was second class to him sure but she was company.

-

Draco didn't like to admit it but he hated being alone. Even at the manor when he was little, he'd search out his parents all the time. And if they were busy he'd find a house elf to bother. Now, when he had no one, Granger didn't seem so bad. She talked a lot less than he remembered and she seemed to have her mind elsewhere but she was still there.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the smell of bacon hit his nose. He rounded the corner to where Granger was cracking some eggs in a pan and scooting them around with some sort of large plastic thing. Why would she use that when she had magic?

"What is that?" he spoke aloud. The brunette jumped and almost knocked over her pan when he spoke and he smirked a little bit. She turned to face him to inquire what he meant when she found him staring at the thing in her hand.

"It's a spatula," she answered, "people use it to cook. Well, muggles do." She shrugged and turned back to her eggs. Busying herself with dividing them onto two plates and adding bacon. And when she faced him again and handed him a plate she asked, "have you ever cooked, Malfoy?" He thought about it for a moment. House elves used to cook for him, then at Hogwarts the same and when the war began he barely ate anything anyway.

"No," he answered stiffly, refusing to let her taunt him he fired back, "don't pretend that there's nothing you can't do."

"Oh, there's tons I can't do," she shrugged and he stared at her incredulously, not expecting an answer, "I can't fly a broom, I can't dance, and I'm absolutely horrid at drawing." She added while moving to sit down and starting on her breakfast.

"I vividly remember you attempting to fly in first year and failing miserable," he smirked, he'd meant it as a jab but it came out more teasing than he'd intended. "But if you can't dance, however did you survive the Yule ball with a date?" he asked with a snort and started scooping large forkfuls of egg into his mouth from where he stood leaning against the stove. Draco wasn't sure where his teasing attitude had come from but it was making her talk to him and he preferred that to moping around alone. Even if it was Granger. If he kept telling himself that, there was no harm in being decent was there?

"My date was fairly duck footed," she mumbled and a pink blush covered her cheeks. Draco thought it suited her rather nicely.

"Ah yes, Viktor Krum." He nodded and when she looked surprised he added, "oh get off your high horse, everyone in our year knew who he was going with." _Surly brute,_ he thought to himself.

"Oh of course," Granger nodded looking down into her eggs. She then pulled from the floor underneath her chair, a large book titled, 'A Study into the Possibility of Reversing the Actual and Metaphysical Effects of Natural Death, with Particular Regard to the Essence and Matter'. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at her.

"Trying to become immortal are you?" he scoffed and crossed his arms.

"This? Oh, no. It was just recommended…by a friend." She finished slowly.

"What a great friend that must be. Can't be Potty or Weaselbee, they couldn't even read the title properly I imagine." He scoffed, his old demeanor rushing back. There, this was normal.

"Well, no." she admitted, "It was just written in the margins of a book I was reading and it seemed informational." She answered candidly.

"Tales of Beetle the Bard?" he asked with a smug expression when she nearly dropped her book off the table.

"Ye-maybe." She crossed her arms, "That's private, it was left to me by someone." She said and shot a glare his way.

"Who would leave you anything?" he snorted and smirked when her eyebrows creased into a frown.

"Dumbledore." She said softly and he saw a spark of hatred in her eyes again. He accidentally bit down on his tongue instead of his bacon and cringed. Right. He imagined she blamed him for the old coot's death. He did admit, it hadn't been his finest hour up on that astronomy tower. And looking back, letting death eaters into the school probably hadn't been the greatest plan either, but he was scared. Not that he'd ever admit to being terrified but he was.

"That wasn't my fault." He defended too fast. Rats he wasn't planning on saying anything.

"Really? It wasn't? Well thank goodness, all this time I thought you were an evil ferret who let death eaters into Hogwarts who then proceeded to kill one of the greatest men I've ever met. But it's good to know you weren't the one who gave the dark side the upper hand." She started sarcastically and ended in a growl.

 _Here we go again._ God knew he could never get along with the intolerable Gryffindor. Stupid pride.

"And what have you been doing to help your side huh? Sitting in a tent on a beach somewhere staring at some books on immortality. At least I did something for my side." He snapped at her, "your friends are out there dropping like flies but at least Hermione Granger is safe and sound." She slammed her book closed and stalked up to him. He'd never known her to have this kind of temper, that was usually left to Weasley.

"Are you proud of yourself Malfoy?" she asked with ice in her voice, contrary to the fire in her gaze, "Are you happy with your choices?" she added and stared at him waiting for an answer, she really wanted to know, did she?

"No." he spat and she looked taken aback, "but at least I did something." He challenged her. He could practically hear the gears turning in her brain a she thought up yet another response.

"Show me your arm." She said bluntly.

"what?" he scoffed and stared at her like she was crazy.

"Your arm." She said and stepped forward to reach out toward his left arm. His dark mark tingled and he knew what she was after.

"No." he stepped back from her and moved his arm behind him. Lightning quick she stepped forward and pulled his arm forward and pushed up his sleeve before he could react. And there it was, plain as day. The ugly skull that marred his white skin. He snatched his arm back and pushed his sleeve back down, he didn't like looking at it and he certainly didn't want her to see it.

"Crazy bitch," he muttered and glared at her but she didn't seem fazed.

"You didn't want it." She said softly and looked up at him with big eyes.

"What do you mean?" he hissed angrily.

"You didn't want the mark. If you had wanted it, it wouldn't be so red around the edges." She said more to herself than him, "You're not devoted." He stood perfectly still. She had no idea how right she was. And he was annoyed, at her cleverness and at himself for not being angrier. He didn't want the mark, she was right, he'd only wanted to save himself and his family. He was scared and aggravated at the world and Harry freaking Potter would always be better and he'd tipped when the Dark Lord tortured his family.

She sat back down at the table and opened her book again, pulling out a quill and some parchment with notes, she went back to reading as if nothing had happened. The he heard her sigh as she paused before reaching into her purse and pulling out another book.

"Here," she held it out in front of her. He tentatively took it from her, brushing her hand in the process, she didn't flinch. "Let me know if there's anything in there that sparks your interest." She said and bent back over her book to copy down little notes on parchment. He looked down at the book silently.

 _Tales of Beetle the Bard._

 **Hmm interesting, does she believe him? Will he actually prove to be helpful? Who knows! Well, I know, but that's a secret I can't share yet ;)  
Let me know how I'm doing so far. What you'd like to see more of, what you'd like to see less of. WHO you'd like to see more of? Do you guys want more characters in the story or are you happy with just the two of them, let me know and I may comply.**

 ** _-JOY_**


	6. Chapter 5 - Spilled Blood

"While I don't quite see the point of this, I don't want to ask either." Draco called to his accidental companion. By his count he'd been hopping from place to place with granger for about five days now. She hardly made any rude comments anymore, unless provoked, and she now had him read several books and tell her things that stood out to him while she jotted down his words. Today, she had given him _Hogwarts a History_. "Granger this is dumb, I've read this before."

"You've read _Hogwarts a History_?" she quirked one eyebrow at him, clearly surprised.

"Yeah, see you seem to have this idea under all that bushy hair that I'm a slacker. Need I remind you I'm just as good at magic as you are, if not better." He gloated, "Besides, every respectable wizard should at least know about their school." He shrugged and for a moment he saw a hint of a smile grace the girl's face.

"Alright fine, Mr. holier-than-thou, tell me what you liked about the book." She smirked and crossed her arms. They'd fallen into an odd routine of teasing each other, not screaming matches and painful jabs anymore but friendly banter.

"Well when I was a kid, before I'd ever been to Hogwarts, I always liked the idea of the castle having its own mind. You know how the staircases move at random and some rooms even switch places or function, like the room of requirement?" for some reason it was nice to talk to her like a normal human being, she nodded, "well when I was little, I liked to think that the building itself chose to make those things happen, as if when witches and wizards were let into the school, the castle wanted them there." The way Granger was looking at him was strange, not calculating or mocking but soft. "Of course that was just when I was a kid, when I got older I was more interested in the fact that the author, Bathilda Bagshot, she's related to Gellert Grindelwalt."

Granger's gentle expression snapped back into focus when he mentioned the two people. She quickly searched through her pile of notes in front of her, pushing parchment this way and that until she found what she was looking for.

"We have to find a bookstore," she mumbled under her breath.

"Granger come on you have an entire library in your purse, why do you need more books." He groaned, neither of them could simply waltz into a store.

"Rita Skeeter recently published a book about Dumbledore and I overheard some witches gossiping at Bill and Fleur's wedding that Bathilda Bagshot had said some things. I just…it's my first lead in a long time." She spoke very fast and slightly panicked, as if her life depended on it. Which, now that he thought about it, it probably did.

"Lead on what?" he asked unsurely.

"Deathly Hallows and destroyi-never you mind," she finished and started to shove her books and notes back into her purse and hastily rushing about their tent.

"I mind." He said calmly and crossed his arms watching her rush back and forth, "destroying what? And you know the deathly hallows are just a kid's tale, right?"

"But they're not." She simply said and pulled a jacket on over her sweater. "You're going to have to stay here while I go get the book." She hesitated and chewed on her bottom lip, "Unless, never mind."

"No, I want to come with you." Draco blurted out all too fast. "I mean I've been stuck in this bloody tent for so long I'm going insane." He added. He was worried if she left, she wouldn't come back. And then he'd be alone with no wand.

"Hmm," he watched her face screw up in concentration, "On one condition, you pick out some books on the dark arts you think could help me against Voldemort." She eyed him carefully, "and if you so much as step three feet away from me or try anything I will hex you into the next century."

"Okay," he heard himself agreeing very quickly. She nodded and poised her wand against her hair and she muttered something under her breath. He watched as her hair turned sleek and darker before shrinking. She pointed her wand at her nose and it shifted so it was straighter and narrow. She was no longer Hermione Granger but another face in a crowd, nothing exceptional about her anymore.

"Come here," she said softly and it was still her voice. He stepped forward and felt her place her wand against his head before an odd tingle crawled across his scalp. She touched his chin and then stepped back with a calculating look in her eyes. "yeah that'll work."

Draco touched his chin an felt what had been a slight stubble form into a bushy beard and he frowned. He looked at the witch in front of him and saw that despite looking nothing like Granger, she still had the same knowing, golden eyes. He followed her out of the tent and watched as she quickly folded the tent back up and deposited it in her bag. She then waved her wand again and her muggle clothes quickly turned into warm black robes, she did the same for him and began to take down the wards. Draco stepped quickly to a puddle and peered into it at what looked like a Weasley.

"You made me ginger?" he spun around to face the witch behind him and shot him a quick smirk and nodded, "I look like a Weasley." He growled.

"Couldn't leave you blond, it's too noticeable." She shrugged with an amused expression. "Let's go, and stick close to me okay?" she held out her arm and in routine he held on to her tightly as they spun round and apparated to civilization for the first time in weeks.

Hermione apparated the two of them just by the safety of the leaky cauldron. The glamour that was cast over the tavern itself would be enough to cover them from prying muggle eyes. She tugged Malfoy into the place itself and together they made their way through a thin crowd of people and into the back alley. Hermione tapped some bricks lightly with her wand and watched the wall transform. She very much remembered the joy of coming to Diagon alley every summer to shop for school supplies and she thought back to her parents dazed with amazement as they took it all in with her. She frowned but quickly recomposed herself when she found Malfoy staring at her with what could almost be concern.

"Come on, let's get this done quickly." She muttered to her traveling companion. She hooked her arm through his again and made her way over the cobblestone streets. There were now boarded up shops and torn down wanted posters. Over top of the old posters were now photos of Harry, Ron and even her. They seemed to be the new sought after 'criminals'.

Hermione knew many town had been overrun by Death Eaters, but this was home and she hated seeing is torn apart like this. She kept her eyes on the road ahead and tried not to look too anxious. Knowing she had someone with her was strangely comforting, even if it was Malfoy. Down the street she saw the bright orange of Fred and George's joke shop, boarded up. Her heart ached for everything that used to be, but now wasn't the time to start mourning.

"Okay, pretend you actually like me for once and don't wander off." Hermione hissed to Malfoy as she entered the old bookstore, Flourish and Blott's. She felt Malfoy hover near her side even as she headed toward a bookshelf filled with biographies, she saw him look around for interesting titles and searched for her own book.

"Can I help you find anything Miss?" the older lady at the counter gazed at the pair of them as if seeing right through them.

"Yes actually, my wife was looking for a copy of that new book by Rita Skeeter." She heard Malfoy drawl in an uncharacteristically charming tone.

 _Wife?_

"Oh of course," the witch joined Hermione's side and scanned the shelf quickly. Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, the younger woman saw Malfoy slip away from her side and head towards a shelf with ancient looking books. It was near the back of the shop and looked like it didn't get much cleaning. She saw him slip a book under his cloak and join her side just as the shop owner found a baby blue book for Hermione. "There you are dear." The witch smiled kindly at the two of them.

As Hermione payed for her book silently she shot a suspicious look towards the bearded Malfoy standing next to her. She'd chastise him for stealing later. She started to dig through her purse to find money and there was a moment of awkward silence as Hermione knocked over a whole stack of books in there.

"So, have you two been married long?" the sweet woman asked them. Hermione shot a startled look at the witch and then at Malfoy before he swept in smoothly.

"No, just before all of this madness broke out," he smiled in a sort of sad way, it was odd, to see Malfoy with this much expression, of course he didn't look entirely like Malfoy right now, "we figured now is as good as time as an, right honey?" he asked looking at her sweetly as he drew an arm around her shoulders and squeezed, a little too tight.

"Right," Hermione managed to say as she finally found some galleons and gave them to the witch.

"Well all the luck in the world to you two, I can tell you've got something fighting for." She smiled with sparkling eyes before they left the store in a bit of a hurry. As the bell tinkled behind them signaling the door had closed Malfoy suddenly steered them on the opposite direction of the leaky cauldron and kept a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Wife? Seriously? And did you just steal a book?" Hermione said indignantly. She knew it wasn't exactly the time for rules but she still wasn't a fan of violating a sacred place like a bookstore.

"Wife is less suspicious than 'person I'm traveling with', now shut up, snatchers behind up." Malfoy muttered from the corner of his mouth and then said loud enough for passing people to hear, "Honey, do you think Madam Malkin's is still open?"

Hermione took a deep breath and gripped her wand tightly in her hand. It was concealed in the sleeve of her robes but if anyone made a sudden move, she'd be ready. And of course, someone made a sudden move.

"What are you two fine folks buying out here today huh?" one of the snatchers that had indeed been walking behind them, now stood in front of the pair of them while the other two blocked the back.

"Oh, just a book for my dear wife. Women, right? Always looking for the latest gossip." Malfoy laughed heartily as he held up the book they'd just purchased.

"And Edward just had to get some new robes of course." Hermione tittered along with a broad smile, maybe too broad.

"You folks sure do look like you've got some cash to spend. How about you share with us?" The snatcher behind them snarled.

"Yeah lady, hand over the purse." The other one chimed in. Hermione sighed and glanced at Malfoy before muttering, _sorry_.

"Yeah, I can't do that." She said as she slid her wand into her hand and aimed at the snatcher before her, " _Stupify!"_ she yelled and it hit him square in the chest, however at that moment she felt a stinging sensation hit her in the back, "damnit," she ground out and whipped around.

Malfoy had punched one of the snatchers in the face but the other had hit her with some sort of curse that was now burning her back increasingly. Hermione raised her wand again as pain shot through her again. She saw Malfoy's hair glitter white gold again and she cursed under her breath.

" _Petrificus totalus."_ She managed to spit out, she felt her nose take its own shape and her hair fall around her shoulders again as she fell to the floor in pain. "Malfoy," she wheezed and he quickly hopped off the guy who he had been punching before.

"Fuck, Granger," he muttered and grabbed her elbow quickly as she saw black seep into the edges of her vision. She heard screaming and she felt her lungs being crushed before she saw nothing at all as she crumpled to the floor.

The next time Hermione opened her eyes, she was laying on a softer surface than she had been earlier. She quickly sat herself up and winced, letting out an audible groan she sank back onto the cot she was lying on. Her back still burned but it wasn't actively spreading anymore so that was a good sign. Clearly, she was somewhere safe, as she was lying on a sort of bed and hadn't been attacked yet.

"Oh good, you're up." A lazy drawl hit her ears.

"Malfoy? What happened?" she mumbled and closed her eyes again, he wasn't exactly the first thing she wanted to see right now.

"You got hit with a curse, I stole a snatcher's wand and apparated us to safety, you're welcome." He said factually and a little too happy.

"I should have obliviated them," Hermione shot into a panic, "They saw our faces, they know it's us." She scrambled to sit up and cried out in pain.

"Hey, stay still," he commanded, and for once, she obliged. "They don't know where to find us, as long as we stay moving we'll be fine. Now take off your sweater." He instructed her.

"Excuse me?" Hermione raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Not only was this not the right moment, it was also Malfoy.

"Your sweater. Off. Now." He said coldly, "Oh, don't be daft, you have wounds and I'm trying to be helpful." He rolled his eyes but his voice had a softer tone.

Hermione closed her eyes with discomfort as she attempted to pull her sweater over her head but with her every move her back only hurt more. She felt two hands cover her own as Malfoy helped her remove the bulky sweater. His hands were gentle and careful and nothing like she'd have imagined Draco Malfoy's touch to be. She turned around to show her back to him feeling oddly exposed.

"You're going to have to take the shirt off too Granger," she could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Help me," she muttered awkwardly and felt her face flush with embarrassment. Never had she ever imagined asking Malfoy for help with taking her clothes off. Nevertheless, he did and he was so careful with her she felt like she was made of porcelain. She heard him hiss through his teeth, "How bad?" she mumbled.

"It's not pretty, really red and splotchy and there's some blood," he mused, "does this hurt?" he touched a finger against her skin, it was slightly cool against her skin and that was nice, however the touch itself was painful.

"Ow, yes, don't poke me," Hermione flinched.

"Sorry," she heard him mutter under his breath. She didn't think he realized who he was apologizing to because it came so automatically. Did Malfoy have manners? She felt him press the tip of his stolen wand against her back and she hissed before a cool feeling spread across the irritated area. They sat in silence while he healed her back bit by bit.

"How do you know these kinds of spells?" she asked softly fearing the answer.

"Had to use them on myself a lot, and my mom sometimes." He said sadly as he removed his wand from her back.

"I'm sorry," Hermione murmured and suddenly felt very exposed in her old black cotton bra. She turned around and Malfoy held out a shirt to her. She smiled in thanks and pulled it over her head. It was Harry's shirt. She watched the man in front of her stare at his index finger for a moment, it had a small amount of blood on it. Her blood.

She watches as his face grew from disgust to confusion. His brow furrowed and with his other hand he swiped some of his own blood from his cheek. Only now did Hermione see that he'd clearly taken some punches too. His cheek was swelling and a little bloody, it was obvious that he had a slight limp as he took a step back from her.

"It's the same." He mumbled almost too quiet for her to hear. He stared at his finger for what seemed like eternity before wiping his hands on his muggle jeans and running them through his hair. He looked wild for a moment. His eyes searched her face and his hair stuck out to all sides. He pressed his palms to his eyes, "it's the same." He muttered again slightly aggravated this time.

Hermione thought it best to stay quiet at this moment. Choosing to simply watch him and observe. He looked like he was struggling to comprehend what was going on and suddenly it clicked for her. Their blood looked the same to him. Pureblood and Mudblood. If he couldn't tell the difference then why did he hate her. In that moment, she saw years of built of prejudice against her start to crack.

"Damnit Granger!" he whipped back around to face her and stared at her with confused eyes, he looked lost.

"Mudblood." She said softly and held up the bloodied shirt she'd worn before. He glanced at it and back at her before groaning. He shook his head and furrowed his brow.

"We're the same." He whispered and curled his lip in disgust before sitting down onto his own cot and refusing to look her way. But she knew he could no longer truly be disgusted with her for her blood and a small smile crept onto her face. He'd figure it out soon enough, he was smart. She saw that now more than ever.

 **Finally some action am I right? This is a pretty loaded chapter so I'm not too concerned about it being a little shorter than the last. As always, let me know if there's anything you wanna see more of, less of, or you just wanna give me some feedback!**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 ** _-JOY_**


	7. Chapter 6 - Sincerity

***FIXED VERSION**

Draco had spent a long time thinking last night. True most of his thoughts were frenzied and confused but he'd tried his best to work through them. If Granger's blood looked exactly like his, then what was all the fuss about? Her blood wasn't really dirty, it was just like his. He'd tossed and turned and been so uncomfortable with this new fact. Of course, a part of him had never really thought her blood would appear different but it was a whole new thing to actually see it.  
Now he grappled with a new issue. If this one tiny thing fell out from under him, he'd have absolutely no base on which to hate her. Sure, she was nosy and shrill but he'd also seen that she was clever and cunning and truth be told, probably could have made one hell of a Slytherin if she wasn't so goodhearted. And that was it. He didn't truly hate her, did he? She annoyed the shit out of him but she'd been civil to him this past week and he found that there was something interesting about her eyes.  
Damnit, don't go soft on me now Draco, he chastised himself. It was one thing to tolerate her existence but it was another thing to think kind things of her.  
He sat up on his cot and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Glancing at the sleeping figure a few feet away he sighed. It was very odd to see her quiet and at peace. It was even worse to think she looked kind of pretty.  
Whoa, too far! He snapped out of it and quickly darted out of the tent.  
He'd apparated them to a place he'd found back in fifth year. His house was starting to become crowded with death eaters once again and he couldn't stand it. So, he'd picked up his broom and flew as long as he could, before finding a place to reflect on his life. He didn't know the name of where he'd ended up but the sun had made the sky golden and it was as warm as any summer evening and he'd just sat on a rock and stared out across the lake.  
Now, the trees near him were dusted with a light powdery snow and the edge of the lake was starting to freeze. The sun was just setting and it gave things a purple glow. Granger had been sleeping for almost a full day now. He'd read and he'd raided the tent for some more of those granola bars, but he was bored. He twirled his stolen wand between his fingers and decided now was as good a time as any to get used to it. He knew he wouldn't perform the best magic with a wand that wasn't his own but it felt good to have that rush of magic flow into his hand.  
He waved his wand a few times and rolled some fresh snow into a ball before banishing it away from him to hit a tree. It took a bit but the wand didn't feel as strange to him anymore the more he practiced. His mouth quirked up at the edge into a semi smile as he hit his target once again. From behind him came a small sniff.  
"Malfoy?" Granger muttered in a small voice. He turned to find her looking groggy and vaguely unaware of her surroundings. She must have taken a dreamless sleep potion last night to get through the pain, "Where are we?" her words melting together slightly. She shielded her eyes from the light that was hitting her face, her curly hair was unkempt and he could see streaks of blonde running through it.  
"No clue, just somewhere I could visualize. We're still in England I just don't know the exact location." He shrugged.  
"I gotta put some wards up," she nodded and stumbled her way forward. Her shoes were untied and she wasn't wearing a sweater but she didn't seem to be bothered by the cold one bit.  
"Whoa careful!" he warned as she almost slipped down the slight hill they were standing on. Draco quickly wrapped his arm around her waist on instinct and found his hand touching the soft skin of her hip. She nodded in thanks and righted herself. Once she was steady he quickly drew his hand back and made his way back to the tent, leaving her to put up her wards. He'd put a glamour on the tent last night but he was still working with the new wand and she'd obviously done this more often than he had./p  
When Granger entered the tent again, her nose and cheeks were red but she looked more awake and alert. Grabbing the book they'd gone through so much trouble for yesterday, she sat down at the little table and flipped it open. She then pulled em style"the Tales of Beetle the Bard out of her bag as well and got to reading the book by Rita Skeeter. Suddenly Draco noticed something about her he'd never seen before.  
"Granger, what's that around your neck?" he asked with interest.  
"Hmm?" she hummed in reply, clearly not listening.  
"That locket. Why does it have a snake on it? And why is it…ticking?" his eyes were slightly wide as he heard was could only be described as a rhythmic ticking coming from the locket that rested against her chest.  
"Oh shit," she muttered and quickly hid the locket from view, "it's nothing. Just a necklace." She looked up at him finally.  
"You're a terrible liar Granger. If you want me to be useful, you're going to have to include me on things." He glowered at her, "for fucks sake I stole a book for you and saved your ass all in one day. Think of this as my thank you."  
"I didn't ask you to steal a book!" she exclaimed.  
"Off topic Granger, tell me what that thing is." He crossed his arms and stared at her intensely. "Trust me." He said and she chewed on her bottom lip for what seemed like eternity.  
"Fine." She grumbled, "but if you don't help me with this I swear to every ominous being around these days, that I will personally hand you over to Voldemort." Draco put his hands up in submission and for a moment saw himself being presented to the Dark Lord by none other than Hermione Granger, golden girl.  
"Lay it on me." He said. He wasn't sure what he was expecting honestly, but it was not this.  
"It's a piece of you-know-who. His soul. I don't know if you've ever heard of Horcruxes but that's what this is." She pulled the chain out from under her shirt again and lifted it over her head. She sat it on the table and stared at it. Suddenly she looked like a weight had been lifted from her.  
"You carry a piece of him around with you?" Draco exclaimed. He knew she was crazy but come on.  
"I'm trying to find a way to destroy it. Voldemort, he…well he can't be killed unless we kill the pieces of his soul." She continued.  
"I'm sorry, pieces? As in multiple." He knew how horcruxes were made and he shouldn't have been so surprised that there were more.  
"We think six." Granger cringed, "Harry destroyed one in his second year, we didn't know what they were back then of course. Dumbledore took one down last year and I have this one right here." She gestured to the ticking locket in front of her. "We've tried every curse and hex in the book but nothing works. Harry killed the first piece with Basilisk venom and I don't know how Professor Dumbledore managed it." Draco rubbed his eyes.  
"Okay so, there's a tiny bit of Vol-the Dark Lord in there and you've been carrying it around? How has that not killed you?" he asked in genuine concern.  
"Put it on." Hermione said softly and he could see how tired she looked from this close. He looked at her like she was crazy. "It won't kill you but you'll understand what it makes you feel."  
Draco hesitantly picked up the chain and dove off the deep end. He put it around his neck and for a moment he thought he'd been doused in ice cold water. The locket was heavy and ticked against his chest like a second heart beat. He felt regret and anger and despair wash over him, all at the same time and he quickly took it off again. It was like the emotions he'd felt when he'd joined the death eaters.  
"You've been feeling that this entire time." He looked into her eyes and felt terrible for her. Her friends and family gone and she was carrying around all of that. He snapped out of it when she nodded. "it feels like I'm reliving the worst thing I've ever done."  
"Yeah," she said softly, her voice small, "I assume the dark magic brings up the worst feelings you've ever felt, remorse, sadness, loss." She ticked off on her hand and seemed to slump a little.  
"How do you wear that thing for so long?" he frowned and focused his eyes on the ticking locket instead of her furrowed brow.  
"Harry, Ron and I used to take shifts, now I just take it off sometimes but I'm afraid to lose it or that something will happen. I've kind of learned to live with the constant ache," She admitted and sighed, "It's nice to breathe," she mumbled and stared at the locket as well, "I just really need to get rid of this thing."  
"You said basilisk venom killed one of the horcruxes, why not that?" he prompted her.  
"Harry killed the basilisk and it's remains are at Hogwarts, which is currently overrun by your guys." Hermione screwed up her face staring at the table, "sorry, death eaters." She corrected herself.  
"Granger come on you're smart, there's got to be something in that head we can use." He encouraged her.  
We. He was officially a part of this and that felt oddly, right.  
"Wait!" Hermione exclaimed, "Harry killed the basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor and if I'm not wrong," she started to riffle through a stack of papers and books.  
Granger, you're never wrong. Draco thought to himself as he watched the witch enthusiastically grab a book.  
"The sword of Gryffindor is made of Goblin's silver, it absorbs substances that strengthen it. This means that if Harry killed the Basilisk with it-"  
"The sword has Basilisk venom in it. We can use it to destroy the horcrux." Draco finished her train of thought.  
"Yes! Exactly!" Hermione beamed at him. It was the first time she had ever smiled at him and it stirred an odd sort of feeling inside of him. The opposite of what the locket had made him feel. Until her smile dropped down again, "except the sword is in professor Dumbledore's office under Snape's watchful eye."  
"No, even worse, they moved it to my aunt's Gringotts's vault." Draco murmured. He watched as Granger sunk down farther into her seat and cover her face with her hands. He reached over the table between them and gently pried her hands away from her eyes. "Granger come on, you found a lead. Albeit it's not an easy fix but you just figured out how to destroy a piece of Voldemort's soul. That's huge." He told her factually and gave her hand a tiny squeeze.  
"You're right, maybe if I can get more information on Gellert Grindelwald from Rita Skeeter's book then-"  
"No, Granger, you're going to take a damn break." Draco cut her off.  
"But, it's a new lead and-"  
"And it's not going anywhere." He covered her mouth with his hand, "Look, I know you want to cram that pretty little head of yours full with the most information you possibly can, but you're going to overexert yourself and then where will we be? We can't have the leader of the nerd parade breaking down." He finished with a smirk. He saw her nose crinkle up and her eyebrows furrow as she stared him down before prying his hand off her mouth.  
"Leader of the nerd parade? That's new." She raised her eyebrow but her eyes held laughter and her lips quirked up at the edges.  
"What can I say? Your dork face just kicked my creativity back to life," Draco flicked a rolled up ball of paper her way.  
"Come on Malfoy," she scoffed and for a moment he was afraid he'd gone too far, "if you're going to have two faces, couldn't you at least have made one pretty?" she grinned his way. Oh good, this was the side of Granger he knew how to handle.  
"You know I wish Protego could shield me from your insults Granger," he grasped at his chest dramatically, "it's a good thing they never get past your hair," he snickered and she rolled her eyes his way. She had a small smile on her face though and neither were trying to offend the other.  
"You know, I wish you were a Flobber worm, then at least I could have a more intelligent conversation with you!" Granger fired back and chucked the balled up paper back at him. It hit Draco square in the face and she burst out laughing.  
"Oh, you better run Granger." Draco narrowed his eyes at her and Granger let out a squeak that was more laughter than fear. She hopped up to scramble away from him though and he raced after her. The sun had completely disappeared now and the only light provided for them was from the candles Draco had lit with his newfound wand.  
She let out a genuine laugh and he smiled to himself before reaching out and grabbing her hand. He pulled her towards him instinctively and spun her around to face him. She collided with his chest in the process and had to tilt her head to look up at him. As he looked back into her warm chocolate eyes she suddenly smiled at him.  
"Thank you," she said softly.  
"For what?" Draco asked her. He felt dizzy, but wasn't sure why. One of her hands was pressed against his chest and the other was still enveloped in his own.  
"For changing your mind about me." She said after a pause.  
"It's Christmas and all, I suppose," he mumbled, unsure what else to say. He hadn't consciously made the decision to enjoy her company, it had just happened. Like a switch had been flipped, except he couldn't switch it off again.  
"It's Christmas?" Hermione asked and he nodded numbly, "in that case, thank you, and merry Christmas," she added and stood up on her toes before pressing a kiss to his cheek. When her feet were flat on the floor once again he wrapped his arms around her petite frame and rested his chin on top of her head. If anyone had told him he would be hugging Hermione Granger a few weeks ago he'd have referred them to Saint Mungo's. But now, it was comforting, warm and the closest thing to home he'd felt in a long time.  
"Granger I-" he paused and took a deep breath, the feeling of her lips on his cheek had made his face tingle, "I'm sorry. For being a prat to you in school and for having made some extremely shitty choices. I don't understand how you could possibly be so kind to me." He chuckled mirthlessly. She smelled like pine trees and clean laundry and while he didn't want to he loosened his arms from around her.  
"I forgive you." She said sincerely, "I really do. You're not cruel, you were just a kid afraid of losing his family. I get it." She smiled sadly up at him, "I believe that people can see their wrongs and right them."  
Draco sighed, not knowing he'd been holding his breath. He hadn't needed to tell her the explanations he'd come up with for his actions, she'd simply, forgiven him.  
"Alright, come on, you go scout the perimeters and see if we're still safe and hidden and I'll whip up some supper. Muggle style!" She laughed and gently nudged Draco towards the tent exit with a smile. She turned back around and headed for the small kitchenette. He looked at her for a moment longer with a soft smile on his usually harsh features as she pulled out a pan and waved her wand at the small radio. Gentle music drifted through the tent and she glanced over her shoulder and caught his eye with a lopsided smile. In that moment, he would have liked to freeze time forever and forget about any bad that would come for them soon enough.

_  
 **Domestic Draco anyone? Still lots of mysteries to be solved and where on earth are Harry and Ron? Yes, I know some of the events in this story are not on the exact same timeline as in the book but it's just for plot purposes! Let me know how you're enjoying it so far, or what I could do to improve!**


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